Not Wanting to Miss Out
Lots of the time, I think I get drawn into the idea that I have to do more to make sure not to miss out on something of value. Today is Hallowe'en. I wanted Alan to have a good day. In the morning, we did school. He likes to have the routine of it and enjoys learning. When he wrote in his journal about his plans for the rest of the day, he put in "park day" because on Tuesdays, we go to the Conejo Valley Park Day for Homeschoolers. We didn't go last week. He wanted to have a day of "long pages" as he calls our extension of work into the afternoon. Today, I said to him, "We are going to be driving around a lot today. Let's decide whether we want to go to the park or not." We talked about what else we needed to do today. Driving to the park meant a long drive in the opposite direction. We bagged the park day. While I didn't get the check in for ice skating, nor did we greet anyone that we know at the park, we did save ourselves the drive. I hope we don't feel as though we missed out on something when we get there finally next week.
We wanted to get to the post office today. I had some mail to go out, including our absentee ballots. Ever since we became citizens, Don and I have made a point of getting informed on the propositions and also marking our ballots for the people we think will represent us best. I wanted to make sure the ballots got in and got counted.
We also had to get a few groceries. I try to plan ahead so we don't need to go too often, but we always seem to be running out of something such as Alan's soy milk and fresh fruit and veggies. We had to go today. While I was putting away the groceries, Alan got the mail, put the large garbage cans back in our yard and then ran on the treadmill. He did his two miles in just 23 minutes, which is a record for him.
With just a few minutes before we had to leave for a trial of an additional gymnastics class, we took a snack break. Alan had a great workout with this group. I think we will be adding this class to the one on Thursday. The instructor is excellent for these special needs kids. We need to take advantage of his availability. Alan's whole body is getting stronger. His upper body is no longer as weak as it was. His motor planning is improving. The class was over at six p. m. We came home and he wanted his supper. At seven, we began to encourage him to get his supper over with so he could get his costume on and go trick-or-treating. This is likely his last year to go out, although there were scads of kids I thought had deeper voices than his. Maybe we will let him go next year. We'll see then.
After he and Don returned, Alan took off his costume and got into the shower at his usual 8:17 time. He picks the time. I'm glad he is into a hygiene routine. Some boys don't want to take the time to get clean. It is on Alan's agenda. He didn't dive into the candy, either, because he isn't into candy. (I need to stop eating the mini-Snickers bars myself. I have already gone and brushed my teeth once. I need to do that again. Stop that, Mary!)
I am glad right now that we didn't get to the park.
Coincidentally, I got a book out of the library on Monday called Crazy Busy: overstretched, overbooked and about to snap! Strategies for Coping in a World Gone ADD. Some lines on p. 58, jumped out at me as I flipped through the pages though I haven't started reading the book. Dr. Hallowell, who has treated many for ADD, says: "Owing to the conditioning we've received in the past ten years, some of us are simply unable to slow down. Others frankly don't want to. For them, F-state is fun. ...These are habits some people develop simply because such habits make them feel charged up, as if doing a lot fast puts them on the cutting edge of life."
I think Alan will remember this Hallowe'en with pleasure instead of as a blur when he didn't get much out of it. The day went smoothly. One of the reasons we homeschool is so that we can plan our days. If something doesn't fit into our schedule today, then tomorrow is another day.
Lots of the time, I think I get drawn into the idea that I have to do more to make sure not to miss out on something of value. Today is Hallowe'en. I wanted Alan to have a good day. In the morning, we did school. He likes to have the routine of it and enjoys learning. When he wrote in his journal about his plans for the rest of the day, he put in "park day" because on Tuesdays, we go to the Conejo Valley Park Day for Homeschoolers. We didn't go last week. He wanted to have a day of "long pages" as he calls our extension of work into the afternoon. Today, I said to him, "We are going to be driving around a lot today. Let's decide whether we want to go to the park or not." We talked about what else we needed to do today. Driving to the park meant a long drive in the opposite direction. We bagged the park day. While I didn't get the check in for ice skating, nor did we greet anyone that we know at the park, we did save ourselves the drive. I hope we don't feel as though we missed out on something when we get there finally next week.
We wanted to get to the post office today. I had some mail to go out, including our absentee ballots. Ever since we became citizens, Don and I have made a point of getting informed on the propositions and also marking our ballots for the people we think will represent us best. I wanted to make sure the ballots got in and got counted.
We also had to get a few groceries. I try to plan ahead so we don't need to go too often, but we always seem to be running out of something such as Alan's soy milk and fresh fruit and veggies. We had to go today. While I was putting away the groceries, Alan got the mail, put the large garbage cans back in our yard and then ran on the treadmill. He did his two miles in just 23 minutes, which is a record for him.
With just a few minutes before we had to leave for a trial of an additional gymnastics class, we took a snack break. Alan had a great workout with this group. I think we will be adding this class to the one on Thursday. The instructor is excellent for these special needs kids. We need to take advantage of his availability. Alan's whole body is getting stronger. His upper body is no longer as weak as it was. His motor planning is improving. The class was over at six p. m. We came home and he wanted his supper. At seven, we began to encourage him to get his supper over with so he could get his costume on and go trick-or-treating. This is likely his last year to go out, although there were scads of kids I thought had deeper voices than his. Maybe we will let him go next year. We'll see then.
After he and Don returned, Alan took off his costume and got into the shower at his usual 8:17 time. He picks the time. I'm glad he is into a hygiene routine. Some boys don't want to take the time to get clean. It is on Alan's agenda. He didn't dive into the candy, either, because he isn't into candy. (I need to stop eating the mini-Snickers bars myself. I have already gone and brushed my teeth once. I need to do that again. Stop that, Mary!)
I am glad right now that we didn't get to the park.
Coincidentally, I got a book out of the library on Monday called Crazy Busy: overstretched, overbooked and about to snap! Strategies for Coping in a World Gone ADD. Some lines on p. 58, jumped out at me as I flipped through the pages though I haven't started reading the book. Dr. Hallowell, who has treated many for ADD, says: "Owing to the conditioning we've received in the past ten years, some of us are simply unable to slow down. Others frankly don't want to. For them, F-state is fun. ...These are habits some people develop simply because such habits make them feel charged up, as if doing a lot fast puts them on the cutting edge of life."
I think Alan will remember this Hallowe'en with pleasure instead of as a blur when he didn't get much out of it. The day went smoothly. One of the reasons we homeschool is so that we can plan our days. If something doesn't fit into our schedule today, then tomorrow is another day.
posted by Mary at 8:24 PM
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